Brown Books

excellent book for boys. My son doesn't like to read but this book got read 3 times and 2 book reports made on it.

My 7 year old son loved this book, which was irreverent enough to keep his attention. Anything with a dragon is usually a plus. After reading this one, he went on to another Heroic Misadventure of Hiccup book without missing a beat.

Very difficult to find good, interesting books for boys in middle school, and this was one that he really liked very much.

Cressida Cowell cannot write enough books for my kids. Her stories are light easy reading with a lot a kid humor. Both my kids, a 9 year old boy and a 7 year old girl just love these books. The stories that center more on Toothless the Dragon are their favorites. The chapters are short and kids can't wait to hear the next chapter. Half the battle in getting kids to read is to find books they WANT to read and any of Cowell's books will do the job and then some. Fun for parents too!

This book is appropriate reading level for second to fifth graders, although mom enjoyed the story too! The character's names are unusual, Hiccup the Horrendous the Third, Gobber the Belch, Snotlout, but the names appeal to the kids. Hiccup is a Viking who doesn't fit in. He is a small kid who is kind and thoughtful. Most of the Vikings are large, tough, gross and ill mannered brutes. Hiccup's father must come to terms with his son's unusual ways. There are also three important dragons in this story. Character traits of loyalty, self reliance, honesty, persistence, empathy and friendship empower Hiccup to prevail.
We have also enjoyed other books about Hiccup.

I agree with all the other glowing reviews for this series, and have to add this as well: don't miss the audio versions of these stories!! They are wonderfully engaging audiobooks read with delightful enthusiasm by none other than David Tennant. His character voices are hilarious! He gives 110% in the reading of these fun tales, diving right into them with gleeful abandon that children everywhere will find very entertaining. I can't recommend the audiobooks highly enough. If you enjoyed reading these, try listening to them. You won't be disappointed!

My son hatres to read but when we got this series everything changed. All kids like fantasy and this keeps their attention until the last page.

My two sons (6 and 5) and I have read all of Hiccup's adventures (several times each) and were eagerly awaiting this latest book. We were not disappointed in the least.
Cowell's writing style draws in the reader immediately. The tales she weaves, with a great understanding of a little boy's mind, are infused with humor, danger, and intelligence. As a mom, I found that I couldn't put the books down after putting my kids to bed! All parents will appreciate that there is more depth to these stories than the upfront adventure: the underlying messages of friendship, kindness, and looking beyond appearances, are so subtly put forth, that my children, who are totally enraptured, don't even know they've been infused with quality life lessons.
I couldn't recommend this and the whole series enough. I can't wait to find out what happens in the (hopefully) continuing saga.

I just finished reading this with my 5-year-old son, who, of course, LOVES dragons. We had a great time reading this together and I think I looked forward to story time almost as much as he did every night! It stayed interesting from the first page to the last, with lots of edge-of-your-seat excitement and wondering what was going to happen next. Toothless the hunting dragon is the comic relief and my son absolutely loved to hear about him and his antics. I highly recommend this book!

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a young bumbling and reluctant hero. He seems to have quite a knack for stumbling across adventures in which he somehow manages to beat the bad guy. In this fifth adventure, Hiccup determines that thousands of highly deadly Exterminator dragons will be hatched if the volcano on a nearby island erupts. Hiccup, his friends, and his dragons must find away to stop the volcano from erupting, and do it fast. Can even Hiccup stop an erupting volcano or has he finally met his match?

Hiccups adventures are highly entertaining, especially for little boys who love adventure and fantasy. Each book stands alone as each contains a separate adventure. There are references to other adventures but you do not have to have read those books in order to follow the current tale. The book isn't just for little boys but the language and names of the characters are particularly appealing to little boys who find any reference to body functions very humorous. For example, the boy's pirate training instructor is named Gobber the Belch and some of Hiccup's classmates are named Fishlegs, Snotface Snotlout, Tuffnut Junior, and Dogsbreath the Duhbrain.

The book is written as a kind of journal of Hiccup's adventures and is heavily illustrated by the Viking child's drawings. I enjoyed the book and this series has my ten-year-old son thinking maybe he could write a book like this (with his own adventures of course). I think this is an excellent series to give to a child who is not that interested in the idea of sitting down to read or write, for in it they may find the spark for their own imagination--and what could be better than that!

Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful adventures set off by great illustrations make for a fun book. Fine for Middle Reader or Young Adult ages.

This book is fantastic. I could hardly put it down. I loved the action and adventure.

This is the beginning of an excellent book series! Easy reading and pulls you right into the story!

It was great. I can't wait for the next bookHunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow (The Codebearers)

Hi my name is Holt and this book is really fun and really interesting. It is all about Hunter going to a different world and finding friends. He even has to kill the shadow. He finds giant birds and a bunch of random stuff. THis is the first book I have ever read that is over 150 pages! I can't wait for the next book and I check the website to see if another on is coming out - I like the interactive website to earn points. Any kid will love this book

I'm part of the "older teen" crowd and I enjoyed this book so much!
There was so much to think about and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I thought it was kind of like a cross between Frank Peretti's " Piercing the Darkness" Series and the Chronicles of Narnia. I cant wait for the next one! Great work guys!

My daughter loved this book, we read it also every night when we first got it. It was extremely educational but still very entertaining at the same time. She's 5 so she asks a lot (I mean a lot) of questions while we read the book which was very good. We really enjoyed this book.

Surprisingly, this book held the attention of both my 3 & 4 year old boys. They request to have it read to them over and over again and then we spend time reviewing the various scenarios of when it is appropriate to call 911. Little Pamela is someone they can connect with as she is impatient, eager to help, and quick at learning a responsible behavior.

This book was great for teaching my son about calling 911 without scaring him with all kinds of terrible accidents. The character was engaging and the illustrations lots of fun. The book facilitated a great discussion about learning our address and telephone number, which he now spouts at every opportunity! Thanks to the author and illustrator from this mom.

Absolutely fun, colorful, and still managed to convey the importance of 911. My children especially liked Pamela's "whacky" hair from playing in the leaves.

Great tool for me to use during storytimes when promoting safety. This is a great tool when doing PR's for our EMS service. It helps in getting the information on not just dialing 911. It tells the children they need to know the address they are at and what their telephone number is. The illustrator is great. The children love to look for meow-man. I like the peace sign the EMT's are giving Martin. Thanks to the author and illustrator.

Devin Brown's Inside Narnia (Baker Books, 2005) is a great companion piece to C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Bookstore shelves were full of Narnia-help books leading up to the release of the film in December 2005. Once the hoopla over the film subsided, many of the Narnia companion books went straight to the Bargain sections. That's where I found Inside Narnia.

But I must admit, this book is worth more than I paid for it. Devin Brown takes the reader through The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, offering fascinating information about the influences on Lewis' thought. He delves into the biblical parallels, inconsistencies between Narnia books, and he often writes about Lewis' own philosophy of writing for children.

Inside Narnia is a must-have for all serious Narnia fans. Brown's research reinforced the reasons why I fell in love with Narnia as a child and why the fantasy world continues to intrigue me today. If you choose one Narnia companion book out of the Bargain bin, make sure it's this one.

Inside Narnia was one of the many books published in advance of the recent movie adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. In this book Devin Brown, a Lewis scholar and aficionado, offers a detailed look into the world of Narnia, digging far beyond the surface, and exploring this magical world. Having just read The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe with my children, I decided to read this as a commentary of sorts, to see what I had missed and what I would want to look for the next time I read the book.

Brown begins the book just where he should: with a rationale for the book's existence. There are, after all, many similar titles available. He replies that the strongest reason for any new work must be that it first takes an approach not taken before and then must cover ground that has not been covered before. He does both of these. His approach to the story is in the first place literary rather than primarily devotional. He moves through the book chapter-by-chapter, providing literary analysis and supplying "a good deal of supplemental information from Lewis's life and other writings." He also offers comments and opinions from a wide variety of other scholars. In many ways the book is a running commentary rather than a collection of essays. "My claim is this: although The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe can be simply read and enjoyed by a child, it can also be read seriously by adults because it is a work rich with meaning. Some of this meaning will be discovered simply by spending time with the text and paying close attention to what Lewis has written. Further meaning will be seen by drawing connections--connections not only to other passages within the novel but also to other works by Lewis, to the events of Lewis's life, and to the world of other writers who influenced Lewis. ... I contend that this twofold approach--first, a careful reading and the second, adding these kinds of connections--will result in greater enjoyment of an already enjoyable book."

Because this book is primarily a literary analysis, it does not contain a great deal of discussion about the story's religious elements. There are many other books that look at the story from that angle. Devin focuses instead on language, on consistencies and inconsistencies in this story and Lewis's other writings, and on the life experiences that stand behind the story. I really felt, as I read Inside Narnia, that the author was unlocking a great deal of the story to me.

Where Brown does deal with religious elements, he typically does so in a manner that is fair even if not thorough. He is careful to point out that this story is not meant to be an allegory for the story of the Bible. He writes "No topic surrounding the Narnia stories has been so misunderstood or has had so much written about it as the question of whether they are allegory." He ultimately turns to Lewis who affirms that the books actually stem from this kind of thought: "Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, because a Lion there, and then imagine what would happen." While there are certainly obvious parallels between the witness of Scripture and the story told in the Narnia books, they are not and were not meant to be true allegory. This means that we should not go looking too deeply in our quest to find religious significant under every rock and in every crevice in Narnia.

Interestingly, this book made me realize what it is about Lewis's world that kept me from falling in love with it as I did with Tolkien's Middle Earth. I think the real difference is in the completeness of the world. In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe we see a world that very obviously has not been thought through to the extent that Middle Earth has been. Narnia has many clear and obvious flaws. Some of these were reconciled in further books, but many were just left unreconciled. There is much about Lewis's world that just doesn't make a lot of sense. I can see now that this kept me from believing the world as I did with Middle Earth.

All-in-all, Inside Narnia was a good and valuable read and one I enjoyed a great deal. It put to rest the haunting memories of high school level literary analysis that seemed to award not truth but originality in dissecting stories we knew nothing about written by authors we had never heard of. This book, on the other hand, represents the work of a man who has studied both the author and his work. It opens up the story and allows us to see what we certainly would not otherwise know. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Inside Narnia Guide was given as a Christmas gift last year to our fourteen year old granddaughter to further enhance the reading of The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set. This guide was an excellent selection, and our granddaughter has told us several times how much she enjoyed reading it. The fact that her first name is the same as the author's was an added bonus! Based on her appraisal, I recommend this as a great addition to the Chronicles of Narnia Set. ~ Mrs. B.

"Inside Narnia" ia a chapter-by-chapter description and literary analysis of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." That description makes the book sound stuffy but it didn't feel that way reading it.

Like any good scholar, Devin Brown begins his work by addressing why the work is even needed.

"The strongest reason for any new work must be that it

(1) takes an approach not taken before.

Prof. Brown's focus is on providing a literary analysis of TLWW.

Since he is an English professor at Asbury College in Kentucky, my guess is that his personal motivation for writing this book was for use in one of his classes and that some of his classroom notes may have made their way into the original outline for "Inside Narnia". In my opinion, use of a developing non-fiction manuscript in a classroom is great--college students will be only too glad to point out inconsistencies and ask about passages they find bewildering.


Prof. Brown states that the other reason for a new work in non-fiction involves

(2) (covering) ground which has not been covered.

He explains, "I offer a wide selection of comments and opinions from other scholars, here for the first time collected in a single work." To that, I would add that the reader also benefits from Prof. Brown's own comments and opinions. I suspect that some material quoted directly from C. S. Lewis's writings may also be making its first appearance in a scholarly work.

However...

Not long after I started "Inside Narnia", I found myself skimming past the (exhaustive) citations without thinking about them. He might not like hearing this but Prof. Brown's clear prose allowed me to ignore all of his meticulous bibliographic work, and just enjoy.

His literary analysis is fascinating. I've read Lewis's entire "Chronicles of Narnia" so many times I've lost count but the author surprised me repeatedly with pointers to Lewis's literary techniques and new perspectives on plot and description I never noticed before. He also surprised me with the whole Maugrim = Fenris Ulf discussion! Maugrim? Who's that? I have an old copy of TLWW and have never bought another so the wolf villain has always been Fenris Ulf to me.

Brown reveals the structure of individual scenes in such evocative detail that you'll likely close his book either feeling like you just finished rereading Lewis's TLWW or else with the overwhelming desire to do so. When I reached the end of Prof. Brown's study, I wanted to reread "Prince Caspian" but then I'm weird.

(If you haven't read TLWW yet, well first, you should! Second, buy this book at the same time as TLWW but read it afterwards. It'll make a lot more sense.)


CSL's Use of Language (literary technique)

Prof. Brown discusses and analyzes C S Lewis's use of a variety of literary techniques and language in TLWW, as each example appears in the chapters. I was fascinated by his analysis of Lewis's techniques because, frankly, I have been enjoying their "effects" on me as a reader without being aware of how Lewis created them.

Here's a small sample of literary techniques discussed:
gradualness of description built from many concrete details; suggesting rather than explaining to create a sense of mystery; the "interlace" of plot threads; the use of weather as a form of provenance & as a way to set up future plot events; the dream motif; building tension via description; description via senses other than sight; ending chapters one step into the action of the following chapter.

He also analyzes Lewis's characterization of Aslan vs. that of the witch, and his characterization of each of the Pevensie children.
Throughout, he takes care to discuss Lewis's missteps as well as his successes. (example: Where did Tumnus go?)


CSL's Literary, Cultural & Personal Experience

As a indefatigable Lewis scholar and true Lewis fan, Prof. Brown knows about as much about Lewis's life and literary and cultural influences as anyone can hope to, decades after the author's death.

He takes pains to describe the rich combination of traditions Lewis used to people Narnia, and provides citations bringing to life Tolkien's strong objections to what he was doing. Some of those Inklings meetings must have been really lively! In my opinion, and with all due respect to Tolkien and his fabulous work, combinations like Brown's example of dwarves & fauns aren't jarring today although I can see where it would have been to scholars of mythology like Tolkien. For better or worse... Scratch that. For worse, mythological beings now seep into modern culture in distorted forms or not at all.

Even a literary analysis of TLWW has to take into account Lewis's faith to be complete. "Inside Narnia" Ch. 14, 15 & part of 16 are more Christology than literary analysis because Lewis's plot focuses on Aslan's death and return to life.

In other chapters, Prof. Brown highlights passages that hint at Lewis's "longing" from childhood (see "Surprised by Joy") and the manner in which Lewis portrays the Numinous. Brown spends some time recounting via citations how Lewis agreed with Chesterton about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary, and how he used this in TLWW. (After reading his YA "Not Exactly Normal" if Brown -hadn't- mentioned this, I would have been very confused.)

I'm anticipating the second in the series which will be a literary analysis of Lewis's "Prince Caspian". I can't say that I agree with everything that Prof. Brown has written here--I dislike the first person narrator--but I have confidence in Brown's scholarship and I'm sure it's clear by now that I really enjoyed this book.

Sherry Thompson

Since The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was printed in 1950, almost four-dozen books have been published on the Narnian Chronicles, and most of these in the past few years. The danger in writing a book on Narnia today is that so much has already been said. Devin Brown sets the standard in the Preface to Inside Narnia in describing how his book is different: "The strongest reason for any new work must be that is (1) takes an approach not taken before or (2) covers ground which has not been covered. I would offer both these reasons for Inside Narnia." (7)

Many books on Narnia focus mostly on the devotional or spiritual elements of Lewis's books; however, Devin Brown sees value in a literary approach. "By devoting an entire work to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I hope to provide the kind of close literary analysis it warrants and also supply a good deal of supplemental information from Lewis's life and other writings. In addition, I offer a wide selection of comments and opinions from other scholars, here for the first time collected in a single work." (7)

As Brown notes, Inside Narnia is very much like a running commentary on the first of the Narnian Chronicles. Throughout the book, Brown highlights many of the debates and insights that have generated in the past 55 years. Though he draws from a wide range of authors and scholars, he relies heavily on the work of Colin Manlove, Peter Schakel, Donald Glover, and Peter Ford.

This sort of scholarly commentary makes for a book that feels very academic, though the tone and language is far more accessible than most academic works. The insight Devin Brown provides can only come from lengthy research in the field, research that Brown skillfully employs. The result is another unique book on Narnia that should not be missed. Inside Narnia is a valuable introduction to the literary world created by C.S. Lewis with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The traditional international tax textbook (by Avi-Yonah, Ring, & Brauner) is god-awful. I'm not sure who the intended audience is but certainly not law students. At the end of the class, I realized I didn't understand the big picture at all. The professor recommended this book as a supplement. I read the entire text two days before the exam and got an A. I honestly could not have done it without this book. It's super easy to understand, lays out the big picture, and covers the most important topics. Do yourself a favor and read this text.

This book provides a good overview of the area of International Taxation--but only an overview. It will not help you on detailed, complex issues in International Tax. However, using this book will help you understand the general framework for U.S. International Tax.

I did not give this book 5 stars because it needs more examples. The examples and charts were the best thing about the book, but there were far too few of them.

Given the dearth of comprehensible books in this area, I think this book is a great choice if you are looking for help in a class. Practicioners, however, will need more detail than this book will provide.

What a delight it is to read a book that simplifies the areana of international taxation. The author has written a book that is easy to digest and actually makes the topic interesting with practical examples. This book is well worth the purchase price. Well done!

What a delight it is to read a book that simplifies the areana of international taxation. The author has written a book that is easy to digest and actually makes the topic interesting with practical examples. This book is well worth the purchase price. Well done!

This book makes international taxation easy to understand.
It is a perfect beginner's book as it reveals the ideas behind otherwise incomprehensible laws.
For those who later on get lost in the maze you can always come back to the basics in this book.
I haven't seen any other writer explain the basics so well.
The only thing that I am disappointed with at this moment, October 2004, is that there is not an updated version available.
I would buy it the moment it comes out.
Also, I agree with one of the reviewers of this book that 4 years in the international taxation world is a very long time.
We now need more updated information on tax shelters in this book for one thing.
Mr. Isenbergh please update this book and publish it.

WOW - What a book, co-authored by Dale Brown and Richard Bolles, the world known author of What Color is Your Parachute. Dale and Richard have developed a book full of concepts, how to and methods for empowering those of us with disabilities to want to seek out employment against the roadblocks that confront the normal job search.

The book is a MUST READ! A "must read" for even people who are currently employed; as it will give you the insight of what a person with a disability will go thru during their job search. Any temporary able bodied person may become disabled at any time in their employed life. Your "employment life" will be altered forever; thru no fault of your own doing.

No one chapter stands out. Each chapter carries its' own weight for the total read of this outstanding document.

I wish the authors great success with an excellent and easy to read reference book and a solid companion to WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE!

The authors have broken down yet another barrier!

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Written by Dale Susan Brown and Richard Nelson Bolles(Author of What Color is Your Parachute), it is a simple and concise guide to finding a job if you have a disability. It pulls no punches and tells it the way it is.
It gives simple, concise advice on how to conduct a job search, and what to do in an interview. It tells you how keep a prospective employer from getting nervous about your disability, and how to communicate in an interview in an honest and positive way.
If you are person with a disability this is a terrific book, if you have a co-worker with a disability, it is a terrific book, if you have people working for you with disabilities it is a terrific book, and if you are a "normal" person (whatever that is...} it is a terrific book.
The advice in the book leverages the expertise of both authors and is sound and easy to understand. It also helps you to do a better job, once you have employment. The book is highly recommended for everyone!

During my own job hunt, I was constantly frustrated by comments made by family and friends. They had assumed that I could receive special preference just because I have a disability.

I have known that my reality is much different; employers do not have to hire me for a job which my disability prevents me from performing the essential functions, and I am responsible for getting myself to the office.

These critical legal distinctions had made my finding a job very difficult inspite of having a dynamic resume and job recomendations which other people must work their whole lives to obtain. I was placed in the unenviable sittuation of having to turn down job offers while classmates with much lower GPAs and far less reccomendations quickly were being placed.

This book is a great resource and affirmation. Job hunting is hard enough as it is, but being a person with a disabilty adds one more challenge to the mix. This book is beneficial for people with disabilities and their friends of all perspectives, but I feel that prospective college graduates and their families should especially read it.

This book was one of two I purchased to help me gain some perspective in how to represent individuals who had various disabilities but wanted to work if they were able. As a job placement counselor, it is my job to help the clients see what they CAN do and teach them ways to accomodate themselves and communicate their needs effectively to employers. This book helped me understand ways to do this so that clients of mine not only attained employment, but also retained that employment for a long time. This book is a great one and I encourage anyone who is disabled, or knows people who are and need your support, to read this. Keep an open mind and try out the ideas presented. I think you will find it gives some great advice!

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Written by Dale Susan Brown and Richard Nelson Bolles(Author of What Color is Your Parachute), it is a simple and concise guide to finding a job if you have a disability. It pulls no punches and tells it the way it is.
It gives simple, concise advice on how to conduct a job search, and what to do in an interview. It tells you how keep a prospective employer from getting nervous about your disability, and how to communicate in an interview in an honest and positive way.
If you are person with a disability this is a terrific book, if you have a co-worker with a disability, it is a terrific book, if you have people working for you with disabilities it is a terrific book, and if you are a "normal" person (whatever that is...} it is a terrific book.
The advice in the book leverages the expertise of both authors and is sound and easy to understand. It also helps you to do a better job, once you have employment. The book is highly recommended for everyone!

This book is very informative. Everyone should have this book in their kitchen. This book has useful information for any type of chef. If you're a novice chef, or if you're an expert chef, this book is for you. Definitely worth the purchase. I've even stocked one in my sister's bridal shower gift :)

My order arrived very fast and was in excellent condition. The product was brand new as stated in the description. I am really pleased with my purchase.

I've been looking for this book for ages although I didn't know it until I found it! It tells you all the basic information about nearly every possible ingredient and some basic prep info on most--how to truss poultry, scale fish, serve duck, cut and steam fruits and veggies, etc.. Also included is info about herbs and spices, different salad greens, oils, vinegars. So complete! It makes cooking seem very simple and has enabled me to experiment with confidence. And it's *beautifully* presented in full color--someone else said it could be a coffee table book and that person is absolutely right. My friends have been known to start paging through it if I leave it out. The only thing that might improve it is if there were a few actual recipes to try out--those who are looking for recipes will be disappointed as what Kitchen Essentials offers are more guidelines than recipes. I'm hoping that Le Cordon Bleu has or will put out a regular cookbook that will complement this wonderful book.

This is a wonderful book for showing you how to do all the basic preparations that make cooking fun, delicious and successful. You can easily page back and forth to find the subjects that interest you. This is an essential reference book that is beautifully photographed, easy to follow, full of terrific information and covers a wide range of topics. Anyone who is striving to become a better cook, at home or professioonally will enjoy this book as a valuable asset.

This book is a very useful reference; it tells you everything from how to tell when a tomato is perfect for eating to how to select a knife that will cut it perfectly. It is also stuning - it could be a coffee table book.

"Love Is" is just the beginning of Carolyn Brown's literary legacy with Avalon Books. "Love Is" is a wonderful romance and I highly recommend the rest of her romances and historical romances.

This is an incredible book. I enjoyed it as soon as I opened it and started reading it. When Mr. Parker, really John Rollin, is the one to take care of Creole, helps her to see and hear with her other senses instead of her eyes, while she is healing, we are confronted with two people that belong together. Ones that you want to get together when you read the end. An exceptional work of writing that Ms Brown has given us with this book. She makes us actually experience what Creole is going through with bandages and all. And thanks to John for not giving up on Creole when she is so stubborn from day one. I loved the bathroom scene and the perfume counter scene. Ms Brown has once again given us an outstanding love story. One that you will always carry in your heart. This deserves a ten stars plus, with two thumbs, and eight fingers standing tall. An excellent book read!!!!

I read the book in one evening. Once you start, you just can't put it down. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll remember what young love was, and you'll hope she writes a sequel about how they lived happily ever after.

A very fast read; only about 180 pages. It's about a southern bell who has an accident and falls in love with...well, I can't give the whole story away. It's a charming read. No hot and steemy scenes but very cute romance.

This book was extremely well written. It was a typical love story that you think you know what the outcome will be but it was written in such a superb manner that I could not put it down until I knew for certain. Cannot wait until the author's next book comes out!!!!

I love the writing style of P.G. Wodehouse, this is one of my favorites - so funny. It sort of reminds me of a well written Three's Company episode where everyone gets the wrong idea about everyone else. Attention Hollywood: this book would make a great screenplay! You can pay me a finders fee, of course!

Great books unsually start with great 1st sentences, and Luck of the Bodkins doesn't disappoint with this classic Wodehouse gem: "Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French." How can you possibly put a book down that starts like that! And it only gets better.

The eponomous hero Monty Bonkin is also a minor character in the Blandings novel "Heavy Weather. " This book picks up right where we left him at the end of that book making it a sequel of sorts though you defininately do not have to have read "Heavy Weather" first. Set in London, New York and Hollywood this is a great farce, which will keep you laughing to the end. Another great thing about this is that it the longest Wodehouse novel I've come across at 358pgs. so there's more to love.

Most importantly, make sure you pick this novel up (as well as the other Wodehouse books available) in the exquisite Overlook edition -- the beautifully designed, well crafted uniform editions that will last for generations and only cost a couple of bucks more than the mass marke paperback.

I very highly recommend this book. It's very funny and entertaining. I really enjoy all of P.G. Wodehouse's books, and this is one of my favorites. He is truly a genius at writing and entertaining his readers. I'd give it more stars if I could.

There may be no Jeeves or Wooster, but the Luck of the Bodkins shows that P.G. Wodehouse is still able to produce a nigh flawless novel without his two most well-known characters. Wodehouse is at his creative peak with this comic soap opera about several folks on a transatlantic cruise.

The title character is Monty Bodkin who has pursued his erstwhile fiancée Gertrude onto a ship going to New York. A misunderstanding has made her break the engagement, and though it will soon be resolved, more misunderstandings will follow. Also on board is movie studio owner Ivor Llewellyn who is being coerced by his absent wife to smuggle a pearl necklace to the states; he incorrectly thinks Monty is a customs inspector and thus targets him for some bribery. There is also the actress Lotus Blossom, who is engaged to Ambrose Tennyson (cousin of Gertrude); Ambrose is contracted to work for Ivor, and is also jealous of his younger brother Reggie, who is also aboard and once had a fling with Lotus.

In addition to all these characters. there is the ship's steward, Albert Peasemarch, who in certain ways is the anti-Jeeves: he has a seemingly magic way of making any situation worse. If this is beginning to sound complicated, it is, which is why this is one of Wodehouse's longest stories. There's a lot going on, but it all comes together seamlessly.

As always, you don't read Wodehouse for deep looks at the human condition; instead you get light entertainment, which is a nice escape from the weighty issues of real life. Simply put, reading Wodehouse is fun, and the Luck of the Bodkins is Wodehouse at his best.

Great books unsually start with great 1st sentences, and Luck of the Bodkins doesn't disappoint with this classic Wodehouse gem: "Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French." How can you possibly put a book down that starts like that! And it only gets better.

The eponomous hero Monty Bonkin is also a minor character in the Blandings novel "Heavy Weather. " This book picks up right where we left him at the end of that book making it a sequel of sorts though you defininately do not have to have read "Heavy Weather" first. Set in London, New York and Hollywood this is a great farce, which will keep you laughing to the end. Another great thing about this is that it the longest Wodehouse novel I've come across at 358pgs. so there's more to love.

Most importantly, make sure you pick this novel up (as well as the other Wodehouse books available) in the exquisite Overlook edition -- the beautifully designed, well crafted uniform editions that will last for generations and only cost a couple of bucks more than the mass marke paperback.